Author: Stef McDonald

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Recycled Christmas Tree


I’ve seen plenty of discarded Christmas trees in alleys, on curbs, and stuffed in recycled bins. This is the first I’ve seen “planted” in the sand on the beach. (Photo taken in Venice Beach, CA.)

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Global Warming Protest

Hundreds attended a rally against global warming earlier this year in an undisclosed location.
May your holidays be appropriately temperate and may all your wishes come true.
Love all your friends at Surf Like a Girl.
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Cool Gift: Adopt a Sea Creature


Via The Daily Green: If you’re looking for a non-commercial gift idea for a loved one who worships the sea, consider adopting a sea creature with Oceana, a non-profit organization that fights to protect the ocean and its inhabitants. The recipient of your gift gets a cookie cutter or stuffed animal as a token and Oceana uses donations to fight the good fight in protecting dolphins, sea turtles, penguins, and more.–Stef McDonald

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Whale Tale: Sweet!

One of those heartwarming emails that gets forwarded landed in my inbox today (thanks, Robert) about a whale that was stuck in traps but eventually freed. The story, cut and pasted from the email:

“If you read a SF Chronicle front page story, you would’ve read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line-rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad-off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around–she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be as fortunate to be surrounded by people who’ll help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.

And may you always know the joy of giving and receiving.

I pass this on to you in the same spirit.”

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Seven Ply Skateboard Design


I heart Etsy in a big way and can pass hours clicking around the site. With the holidays looming, I got a little lost today, adding a lot of fun items to my cart for some loved ones on my list. Search the site for “recycled” or “repurposed” or “upcycled” to find artists and other crafty types who sell items that might otherwise end up in landfills. (Also try searching the stellar vintage section.) Seven Ply is a seller who offers jewelry and other trinkets made from discarded skate decks (above, earrings).–Stef McDonald

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Apple Pie Bites


When making pie crust for apple pie (every Thanksgiving), I trim a bit of the extra dough around the edge to form into a heart to place on top. For the pie I made yesterday, there was enough for the heart and also for extra treats. I didn’t want to waste the dough and the gooey goodness that was left in the bowl used for the apple mixture, so I improvised by making some apple pie bites. First I pressed the leftover dough into cookie-sized pieces. Then I took an apple slice and dipped it in the coating from the bowl, placed the slice in the center of a dough piece, and folded it over. I placed them in the oven with the pie and baked for about 40 minutes. Because my mom insists that we wait to cut the pie until after Thanksgiving dinner, this gave us a chance to preview it and curb the temptation to cut into the pie anyway. Yum.